Where is this town

alankurdusa

New member
Aug 15, 2005
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:) Hello....
Does any one know where is this place in DR, I'm not sure if my spelling will be right or not but I know this place is in south of DR, the name of the town is (Tedernalef OR Tederhalef), any one knows where is this town I can't find it on the map...

Thanx
Alan
 

miguel

I didn't last long...
Jul 2, 2003
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No "T"!

alankurdusa said:
:) Hello....
Does any one know where is this place in DR, I'm not sure if my spelling will be right or not but I know this place is in south of DR, the name of the town is (Tedernalef OR Tederhalef), any one knows where is this town I can't find it on the map...

Thanx
Alan
The name is Pedernales and I am sorry but I do not know where is at.
 

alankurdusa

New member
Aug 15, 2005
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0
thanx

yes guy you right it's Pedernales, How many Km from the capital of DR to Pedernales city and how long it will take to get there?

Thanx
 

NALs

Economist by Profession
Jan 20, 2003
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alankurdusa said:
yes guy you right it's Pedernales, How many Km from the capital of DR to Pedernales city and how long it will take to get there?

Thanx
I'm not too sure how far away Pedernales is (assuming its the provincial capital you are referring to and not some campo in another area of the country with a similar name).

However, it's a LONG RIDE. Of course, the ride is boring one minute, spectacularly scenic the next, but long either way!

Take Carretera Sanchez (2) out of Santo Domingo (just follow the malecon going west, if the sea is on your left, then you are going west) the malecon becomes Autopista 30 de Mayo and that merges and becomes Carr. Sanchez.

Follow the road all the way to Barahona. From Barahona follow the coastal road that leads into the rediculously beautiful Sierra de Bahoruco mountains that seem to plunge into the sea! Truly spectacular scenery and heavily forested which I like to see. This road will take you all the way to Oviedo (very dusty town in a place that is a virtual desert). Just south of there the road turns towards the west. On the left, all that land is Parque Nacional Jaragua in case you are interested.

The road leads all the way to Pedernales, which is snuggled right along the border with Haiti and although it's technically illegal to cross into Haiti from there, as you will notice, many people are not aware of this illegality.

One of the interesting thing of such a trip is that you will witness how ecologically diverse this country is by simply following the route. One minute you could think you are in the interior of Spain with the arid Sierra de Martin Garcia and the blistering sun and arid landscape and then the road makes a turn and bam, a jungle clad mountainside greener than anything will appear as if reclaiming the land and it becomes clear that Spain is very very far away. Truly spectacular scenery.

May the lord be with you if you happen to pass through the Azua plains around noon, the place is a virtual frying pan! One of the hottest and driest places on the island.

The bad thing about such a trip is the level of poverty really gets serious in the southwest, striking different from the other areas of the country. Also, after crossing along the edge sandwitched between the stupendously green and forest clad Sierra de Bahoruco on one side and the always beautiful Caribbean sea on the other side, it becomes rather disturbing to see the mountains along the border completely denude of trees, with little to no animal life at all!

You can even see dried riverbeds that certainly come back to life when the rain comes, if ever.

The closer you get to Haiti, the more military posts you will witness and also the presence of Haiti is very obvious with the changing landscape and also the fact that you can tune into Haitian radio stations in many areas in the southwest and listen to Haitian music, etc.

Just remember to fill your gas tank especially when you reach Barahona, because after that, gasoline stations are few and far between. Do not take the risk, fill it up!

A rough estimate of how long it would take, let's put it in around 5 to 8 hours (oh yes, its that long). It all depends on how many stops you make, average speed, etc, but all in all, it's a long trip.
 

miguel

I didn't last long...
Jul 2, 2003
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I gotta tell you!!

Nal0whs said:
I'm not too sure how far away Pedernales is (assuming its the provincial capital you are referring to and not some campo in another area of the country with a similar name).

However, it's a LONG RIDE. Of course, the ride is boring one minute, spectacularly scenic the next, but long either way!

Take Carretera Sanchez (2) out of Santo Domingo (just follow the malecon going west, if the sea is on your left, then you are going west) the malecon becomes Autopista 30 de Mayo and that merges and becomes Carr. Sanchez.

Follow the road all the way to Barahona. From Barahona follow the coastal road that leads into the rediculously beautiful Sierra de Bahoruco mountains that seem to plunge into the sea! Truly spectacular scenery and heavily forested which I like to see. This road will take you all the way to Oviedo (very dusty town in a place that is a virtual desert). Just south of there the road turns towards the west. On the left, all that land is Parque Nacional Jaragua in case you are interested.

The road leads all the way to Pedernales, which is snuggled right along the border with Haiti and although it's technically illegal to cross into Haiti from there, as you will notice, many people are not aware of this illegality.

One of the interesting thing of such a trip is that you will witness how ecologically diverse this country is by simply following the route. One minute you could think you are in the interior of Spain with the arid Sierra de Martin Garcia and the blistering sun and arid landscape and then the road makes a turn and bam, a jungle clad mountainside greener than anything will appear as if reclaiming the land and it becomes clear that Spain is very very far away. Truly spectacular scenery.

May the lord be with you if you happen to pass through the Azua plains around noon, the place is a virtual frying pan! One of the hottest and driest places on the island.

The bad thing about such a trip is the level of poverty really gets serious in the southwest, striking different from the other areas of the country. Also, after crossing along the edge sandwitched between the stupendously green and forest clad Sierra de Bahoruco on one side and the always beautiful Caribbean sea on the other side, it becomes rather disturbing to see the mountains along the border completely denude of trees, with little to no animal life at all!

You can even see dried riverbeds that certainly come back to life when the rain comes, if ever.

The closer you get to Haiti, the more military posts you will witness and also the presence of Haiti is very obvious with the changing landscape and also the fact that you can tune into Haitian radio stations in many areas in the southwest and listen to Haitian music, etc.

Just remember to fill your gas tank especially when you reach Barahona, because after that, gasoline stations are few and far between. Do not take the risk, fill it up!

A rough estimate of how long it would take, let's put it in around 5 to 8 hours (oh yes, its that long). It all depends on how many stops you make, average speed, etc, but all in all, it's a long trip.
Man, I DO like your style. Not only because you write so darm much, just like me, but also because you would not let ANYBODY change your views, just like me.

Thread related;

I have always heard about that town, Pedernales, but I have never been there.

Nice post and explanation!.
 

suarezn

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Feb 3, 2002
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I was just in Pedernales...about a week ago. I know I should write a trip report, but I'm too lazy...Now I'm back in hot as hell Temple, TX, USA...but I digress. Nals explanation is very much on point, even though I must say that it was a lot greener than I thought it would be.

This was one of the areas of the countries that I had never visited and I'm so glad I did. The views from Barahona to Pedernales are definitely some of the best in country if not the world. I just love that picture perfect scenario of a mountain on one side, the sea on the other, high cliffs, etc...Awsome views and awsome beaches (San Rafael, Los Patos, etc)...

The road is actually in very good shape except for a couple of small areas where rain has washed out a bridge or caused a few potholes. Definitely in much better shape than the one towards my hometown of Cotui.

I visited Bahia De Las Aguilas (BDLA) - one of those places everyone should see before they die). Talk about isolated...Definitely one of the most beautiful and best beaches I've ever visited in my life. Playa Rincon in Samana is still better in my book only because of the little restaurant that sells the best fish right on the beach, otherwise in terms of water cleanliness, sand texture, shallowness, etc...Las Aguilas has it beat hands down and that's a very tall order.

If you decide to visit BDLA make sure you are driving an all wheels (4X4) vehicle and a good one. My little Toyota RAV4 couldn't make it up the hills and I had to pay for a boat to take us to the actual beach. It costs 1200 pesos for the trip, which is actually very fascinating as you go by the cliffs and very nice rock formations. In addition there were pelicans dive-bombing into the sea for fish which was great to see. My kids thoroughly enjoyed this. Still, I would have preferred to have my car next to me by the beach as it affords you a lot more flexibility.

I could see why they call this area Cabo Rojo. The road towards BDLA is literally RED. The clay over there is of a deep red color (kind of what I would imagine MARS to look like). Very different...

Nals is right that if you're going out that way make sure to stock up in Barahona on everything you'll need, because after that there's nothing out that way until you reach the town of Pedernales itself.

What a trip...I will write a full report someday...
 

Mirador

On Permanent Vacation!
Apr 15, 2004
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suarezn said:
...I could see why they call this area Cabo Rojo. The road towards BDLA is literally RED. The clay over there is of a deep red color (kind of what I would imagine MARS to look like). Very different......
he

The earth in Cabo Rojo is red from aluminum oxide (bauxite) mined years ago by Alcoa. Mars looks red due to its thin surface covering layer of red iron oxide.